Pioneer & Frontier Life

In American history, a pioneer is any of the people who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas, especially those who settled any territory previously unsettled or undeveloped by European or American society. Though most of us think of pioneers strictly in terms of those who came to the "West", the earliest pioneers settled areas now considered the "East".

The first westward migrations occurred as representatives of the Thirteen Colonies sought to open up new lands for their respective colonies westward. Those whose original royal charters did not specify a western limit simply extended their lands directly and indefinitely westward. After the United States was formed upon the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, federal coordination and legislation began to give settlement a more unified approach.

As western settlement grew, common details emerged. Most pioneers traveled in wagon trains, groups of wagons containing settlers and their families. They banded together for common defense and to combine their efforts. Pioneers in the East often had to clear the land, owing to lush forests there. In the Midwest, the task was to bring agricultural fertility to the Great Plains.

The figure of the pioneer has played a large role in American culture and literature. While much cultural note is also given to other figures of a more transient nature, such as cowboys, trappers prospectors, miners, etc., the pioneer alone represents those who went into unexplored territory in search of a new life, looking to establish permanent settlement.

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Bad News for Outlaws
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
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Benjamin Bonneville, Soldier-Explorer
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Bound for Oregon
by Jean Van Leeuwen
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Boy with a Pack
by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton
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Boys' Book of the West
by Amy Hogeboom
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Buffalo Bill's Great Wild West Show
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Caddie Woodlawn
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Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn's Family
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Caravan to Oregon
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Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
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Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
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Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Daniel Boone: The Opening of the Wilderness
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Dark and Bloody Ground
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Davy Crockett
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by Stewart H. Holbrook
from Random House
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$14.95
Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
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Facing West
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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First Four Years (Pictorial Cover)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
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First Four Years - Audio CD
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
from Lyons Press
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
Newbery Honor Book 1962
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Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
1st Edition from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
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Gold Rush Dogs
by Claire Rudolf Murphy, Jane G. Haigh
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Hattie Big Sky
by Kirby Larson
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Hattie Big Sky
by Kirby Larson
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Hero Tales
by Theodore Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge
from Cumberland House
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Hero Tales from American History
by Theodore Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge
Paperback, First Printing from Tolle Lege Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Heroines of the Early West
Landmark #91
by Nancy Wilson Ross
from Random House
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John James Audubon: Painting America's Wildlife
by Janet Stevenson, illustrated by Robert Boehmer
from Encyclopedia Britannica
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Journey West on the Oregon Trail
by Cecile Alyce Nolan
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Kit Carson and the Wild Frontier
Landmark #53
by Ralph Moody
from Random House
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Laura
by Donald Zochert
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in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Laura Ingalls Wilder Country
by William Anderson
from HarperCollins
Literature Resource for 4th-8th grade
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$24.95
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography
by William Anderson
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Little House - Hardcover Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$139.11
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by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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Little House Coloring Book
Clr Csm from HarperCollins
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Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Little Town on the Prairie (Pictorial Cover)
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Little Town on the Prairie - Audio CD
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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$10.99
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman
by James Daugherty
from Viking Press
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Marcus Whitman: The Great Command
by Nard Jones
2nd edition from Binford & Mort Publishing
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Museum of Early American Tools
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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Narcissa and Marcus Whitman
Heroes of God
by Anne West Williams
from Association Press
for 4th-8th grade
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Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
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Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
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On to Oregon!
by Honore Morrow
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-8th grade
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On to Oregon!
by Honore Morrow
1946 Edition from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-7th grade
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Oregon & Applegate Trail Diary of Welborn Beeson in 1853
by Bert Webber
for 4th-8th grade
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Oregon Trail
by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Holiday House
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Oregon Trail
by Francis Parkman Jr., illustrated by Thomas Hart Benton
from Garden City Books
for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Oregon Trail
by Francis Parkman Jr., illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Little, Brown & Company
for 7th-Adult
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Oregon Trail
by Francis Parkman Jr., illustrated by James Daugherty
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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Outlaws of the Pacific Northwest
by Bill Gulick
from Caxton Press
for 7th-Adult
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Outrageous Women of the American Frontier
Outrageous Women
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Overland Migrations
by David Lavender
from National Park Service Division of Publication
for 6th-10th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
Path to the Pacific
by Neta Lohnes Frazier
from Quarto Knows
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Pathways of America: The Oregon Trail
by Lynda Hatch
from Good Apple
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Patty Reed's Doll
by Rachel K. Laurgaard
from Tomato Enterprises
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.00 (3 in stock)
Pioneers
Tales of the Wild West Volume 11
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Pioneers Go West
Landmark Series
by George Stewart
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Pony Express
Landmark #7
by Samuel Hopkins Adams
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Pony Express
Spencer Press Landmark #8 (RH#7)
by Samuel Hopkins Adams
from Spencer Press
for 5th-8th grade
in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Prairie Songs
by Pam Conrad
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Reverence for Wood
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 4th-7th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$12.95
Reverence for Wood
by Eric Sloane
from Ballantine Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
Santa Fe Trail
Landmark #13
by Samuel Hopkins Adams
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Santa Fe Trail
Spencer Press Landmark #6 (RH#13)
by Samuel Hopkins Adams
from Spencer Press
for 5th-8th grade
in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Seasons of America Past
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$17.95
Sophie of the Lazy B
by Myra Richardson, illustrated by Nicholas Panesis
Stated First Edition from Robert M. McBride & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of Young Pioneers
by Violet T. Kimball
from Mountain Press
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-11th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$14.00
Story of Daniel Boone
Signature Books #15
by William O. Steele, illustrated by Warren Baumgartner
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Davy Crockett
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #3
by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by C. B. Falls
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Kit Carson
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #16
by Edmund Collier, illustrated by Nicholas Eggenhofer
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Stout-Hearted Seven
Sterling Point
by Neta Lohnes Frazier
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Non-fiction/Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$19.99
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Library edition from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
These Happy Golden Years - Audio CD
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.95
They Loved to Laugh
by Kathryn Worth
from Bethlehem Books
Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
This was Mining in the West
by David W. Pearson
Second Edition; First Printing from Schiffer
for 6th-Adult
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
To California by Covered Wagon
Landmark #42
by George Stewart
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage & Collectible (Location: VIN-COL)
To Heaven on Horseback
by Paul Cranston
from Julian Messner
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Toward the Setting Sun
by Mary Barmeyer O'Brien
1st edition from Two Dot Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
for 4th-8th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
Trails Plowed Under
by Charles M. Russell
from Doubleday & Company
for 7th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
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